Chapter Ashborn 313: The Beating Drums of Destiny

Upon arriving at the Ash Gate, Vir found only a single, small tent. While he hadn’t expected permanent structures given the duration of his absence and the time shift of the Ashen Realm, he’d still expected to find the Gate more fortified.

Jumping off Cirayus’ shoulder, Vir approached the camp and soon learned why.

From thirty paces away, it was clear just how destabilized the Gate had become. So much so that it’d regressed into an Ash Tear. One that was impossible to travel through.

Hearing Vir’s approach, a pair of red demons emerged from the tent.

“What a relief!” one of them said, coming running up to Vir and kneeling—a gesture that earned a raised brow from Cirayus. “Akh Nara, sir, we thought all hope was lost! And Lord Ravager, it is an honor to meet you, sir!”

Cirayus nodded at the demon before giving Vir an appraising glance. “Lad, do I have some questions for you.”

“I’ll fill you in later,” Vir said, turning to the demons. “Rise. You don’t need to kneel in front of me. I take it you were stranded on this side when the Gate collapsed?”

It was the demon’s partner who answered. “Actually, sir, Commander Balagra stationed us here knowing the Gate was due to collapse. He wanted someone to update you on what happened. Though it looks like there’s no need for that now.”

Vir walked up to the Ash Tear and funneled his prana into it. The faded, broken image on the other side stabilized immediately—restored to its former glory.

“Looks like these don’t last long without me feeding them prana,” Vir muttered. “Or maybe it’s the lack of prana in the Demon Realm that’s causing it to fail.

Though a much larger amount of prana flowed into the Demon Realm via the Gate, tiny wisps dissipated from the edge of the ovaloid portal, being absorbed into the surroundings.

“I can’t believe it,” Cirayus said in a hushed voice. “You really did it. You turned an Ash Tear into a Gate! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I might not have believed it, lad. This… Do you understand what this means?”

“The ability to use the Ashen Realm as a training and staging ground?” Vir asked with a knowing smile. “The ability to ferry troops around the Demon Realm without the enemy being the wiser?”

“Aye, that,” Cirayus said. “But think of the nonmilitary applications! If you happen to find an Ash Tear that links two cities together…”

Vir’s eyes widened. “That would remove the long journey across the realm. I hadn’t thought of that. Though, I don’t think we’re likely to stumble upon a Tear like that…”

Cirayus shrugged. “Not immediately, perhaps. Wait a few decades, and you’d be surprised.”

Ah, right. Demonic timelines are so much longer… Vir was still getting used to the idea that he’d live for several centuries.

“Let’s all return to the base,” Vir said, deferring that philosophical thought for another time.

“Lad, we’ve lost precious time coming here,” Cirayus said, placing a hand upon Vir’s shoulder. “I’m afraid we do not have time to waste within the Ash.”

“And I thought you wanted to see me create more Ash Gates,” Vir quipped.

“I do, but I needn’t remind you of the importance of getting to Baira posthaste. We’ve journeyed in the wrong direction to get here as it is. Even if I travel at max speed, I am unsure if…”

Cirayus trailed off as Vir’s grin grew brighter.

“Cirayus, don’t you understand? I can stabilize Ash Tears. We just need to find one that leads to Baira.”

Cirayus’ mouth slowly closed. He chuckled. “Look at you, lad. Redefining common sense. I admit, there is no better place than the Ash to find Tears.”

“Exactly,” Vir replied. “Besides, I have a few demons I’d like you to meet.”

Cirayus let down the two demons he’d carried on the way back, some hundred paces outside the garrison.

“Er, sir?” one of them asked. “We don’t mean to overstep, but why did you drop us off here?”

“Don’t ask me, ask the lad.”

“Sorry, you two, but do you mind walking the rest of the way?” Vir asked. “We’re in a bit of a rush.”

“Oh, I, er… of course, lord Akh Nara.”

Vir nodded, pacing ahead of the two demons with Cirayus.

“Lord Akh Nara, eh?” Cirayus said.

“Please. Don’t even begin.”

Cirayus chuckled. “So you told them.”

“Only seemed right, after all I forced them through. This is the core of my army. These troops will be the most seasoned veterans. Those who train all the others. I felt you should meet them.”

“Aye. But why did you leave those demons back there?” he asked, thumbing to the demons tailing behind.

“Oh, you’ll see. Shan? Cirayus? Follow my lead.”

Vir bounded forth, before Leaping high into the air.

He was soon joined by Cirayus, though Shan, who was incapable of bounding so high and so far, followed on the ground.

“Ah! You hope to make a show of it!” Cirayus laughed as they sailed through the air.

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“I don’t have to hope, Cirayus,” Vir replied, an equally big grin plastered on his face.

He was the Akh Nara, after all. Who’d blame him for acting like one from time to time?

Red giant and gray demon soared high into the air, reached the apex of their bound, and came falling furiously to the ground.

To the exact center of the Garrison.

“Now, listen here, you sorry louts!” Balagra said, slithering amongst his troops. “You’ve gotten better, yes. But don’t think for an instant you’re ready to face what’s out there.”

Life had been harder without the Akh Nara’s protection, but Balagra ultimately deemed that a good thing. It was difficult to thrive under a mother’s overprotective watch, after all.

And the Akh Nara was overprotective to a fault. The young demon was so unlike anything Balagra had ever expected, he quite frankly didn’t know how to deal with him.

Which was perfect, since the Akh Nara was gone, leaving him free to train and test his troops as he saw fit. If it occurred to him he was fighting someone else’s battle—that this liberation was truly none of his business—Balagra didn’t notice. He was enjoying his job far too much.

Balagra pointed to the walls. “Outside, there’s a whole world of hurt. You’ve survived because you’ve gotten lucky, and because the Akh Nara cleared out the actual threats. You’re lucky he isn’t here, though. What do you think he’d say if he saw you as you are? Green. Undisciplined. Fearful.”

“Uh, s-sir?” one demon asked, hesitantly raising a hand.

“What is it, Warrior? You’d interrupt your own commander? I better hope you have a good reason.”

The demon didn’t reply. He simply looked up at the sky.

Balagra followed his gaze and found two figures, growing rapidly larger.

Balagra’s mouth dropped. “Attack! We’re being attacked! Seek shelter—!?”

Balagra had no more time to warn the others. Bringing his spear up, he barely blocked a blow so heavy, he felt his bones creak in protest.

“Y-you!”

“Yes, me,” the Akh Nara replied, back-flipping in the air before landing gracefully on his feet. The giant behind him… less so.

The force of his tremendous impact quaked the earth, sending shockwaves through the entire Garrison.

The four-armed giant slowly stood to his full height and dusted off his arms.

Shan bounded over the wall and lazily walked up to Vir, who scratched his neck.

“Lad? Your entrance was good. I’m afraid mine was better.”

Vir kept a neutral face as he swept his gaze across the awe-struck troops. Most had already taken a knee. Some actually prostrated, and the few who were standing had been too dumbstruck to move.

“Looks like you have the camp in good order,” Vir said, thoroughly relishing the rare opportunity to see Balagra caught on the wrong foot. Or, tail… Nagas didn’t have feet—not in their serpent forms. Vir still struggled to comprehend how someone could shift their body at will like that.

Balagra mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, 'Ravager' and 'Why am I not surprised?' but quickly cleared his throat when he realized Vir could hear him.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” Balagra said, recovering swiftly and bowing his head in deference to Cirayus. “You must be surprised at seeing a Naga commanding the Akh Nara’s troops.”

“Hmm? Oh, no. Live long as I do and you see all sorts of things. It’s become less common these days, but I’ve fought against several capable Naga Warriors in my time. No, I was just thinking that you must have a grizzled history. You strike me as the type of demon who’s been tempered by the forge of the Ash.”

“That’s… correct, sir,” Balagra said. “I’m surprised you knew.”

Cirayus simply chuckled.

“Looks like the troops are coming along nicely,” Vir said. Already, there was a marked difference in their stance, in the way they gripped their weapons, and how they scanned their surroundings.

Balagra grunted. “Long way to go, still. Are you back for long? The troops would be delighted to train under the Ravager.”

They walked away from the training troops into the nearby command tent, where they huddled around a large wooden table.

“I’m afraid not,” Vir said. “Only long enough to establish a new Gate to Baira.”

“While you’re out there, would you mind making one deeper into the Ash? Not anything too deep. Just a bit more than what we have here.”

“That wouldn’t be difficult—most Tears lead there, after all. In fact, I’d planned to as soon as you’re ready.”

“I think we’re ready,” the Naga said. “I’d like to get us deeper as soon as we can to take advantage of the time shift. Or at least, to have it stop working against us.”

Vir nodded. “That was exactly what I was thinking. If we can establish new bases deeper and deeper, we can move new troops as they become able.”

“A solid plan,” Cirayus said. “And an excellent way to exploit the lad’s ability to create Ash Gates. I can’t tell you how many demons would sacrifice their child for such an opportunity. Let alone the Clans. Train up a few thousand soldiers in the deeper parts of the Ash, and you’ll have an army the likes of which the Demon Realm has never seen.”

“That’s the plan,” Vir said. “But we’ll need Thaumaturges and Chakra mastery if we want to fight on an even field.”

“Aye,” Cirayus replied. “The first one I can handle. I’ve a few Thaumaturge friends in Camar Gadin. If you can establish a Gate there, I believe they could be persuaded to join your cause here.”

“That would be immensely helpful,” Vir admitted. If there was one thing he lacked, it was a network of useful contacts. Luckily, Cirayus had that in spades.

“As for the Chakras, I’m afraid that can only come with time. With luck, we’ll bring more and more Warrior Callings to our cause. They’ll already have unlocked their Chakras.”

“Figures,” Vir said. “Well then, it sounds like I have my work cut out for me.”

Vir stepped out of the tent and began his search.

It wasn’t long before Vir located a suitable Tear leading deeper into the Ash. It lay just outside the bounds of the forest that housed the demons’ garrison and was larger than most Tears Vir had seen. That would be useful for ferrying supplies and troops in large numbers back and forth.

Vir also hoped it would hold more of a prana charge, requiring servicing less often.

“Well, lad? Any better luck with this one?” Cirayus asked, appreciating Vir’s handiwork.

“Seems like it,” Vir replied. “I can only see the barest hints of prana leakage from the Gate. It does seem like the ambient prana density affects how quickly Gates degrade.”

“That is wonderful news. I wonder if there is a point at which the Gate leaks no prana at all—sustaining itself indefinitely.”

Vir immediately thought of Mahādi. Such a Gate would be invaluable. It’d allow for permanent routes through the Ash. The realm that had once taken him two years to traverse could conceivably be crossed in just minutes.

“That would be something, wouldn’t it?” Vir said, imagining the possibilities. “For now, this will suffice.”

After reporting his success to Balagra, Vir set out with Cirayus and Shan to locate a Tear that led to Baira.

This process was far more time-consuming and arduous. While there were plenty of Tears that led into the Demon Realm, Cirayus had to scout out the land on the other side to determine where exactly the Gate was, while Vir and Shan guarded the Gate.

As this often involved locating nearby settlements and asking questions, the process took hours. After each failure, Vir returned to the Ash and collapsed the Gate behind him, seeking another.

Their hard work paid off, however, and after a half day of searching, Cirayus returned with a broad smile on his face.

“Think we’ve found our winner, lad,” he said, striding up to Vir. “There’s a village just a half-hour bound from here. They say Camar Gadin is a half day from there, which puts our Gate even closer. I believe we can bound there in less than an hour.”

“That’s… good,” Vir said. The words were forced, even to his ears.

“What’s the matter, lad? This gate meets all of our criteria, does it not? ‘Tis near the Ash Boundary, so it ought to last longer, and it’s close to the Bairan capital. What else could you want?”

Cirayus was right. They'd found what they were looking for—a Gate near the Ash Boundary where the prana was denser, and only about a half-day’s walk from Camar Gadin.

“It’s not the Gate,” Vir replied. “Just… It feels wrong to be leaving my troops like this. We haven’t even begun amassing an army. There’s so much work to do to rally the prisoners at the Chitran Garrisons. So much groundwork to lay…”

“And all of it will happen. In due time. Now tell me, would you rather your rebellion occur a few months earlier—led by an Akh Nara bearing not even a single Ultimate Bloodline Tattoo? Or would you rather go into battle armed with Balancer of Scales and the full support of Clan Baira?”

Vir rolled his eyes. “You make it sound so easy, Cirayus. I have to win that tournament first. And that means fighting you. Doesn’t it?”

Cirayus beamed. “Why, of course, lad. Did you think I’d miss out on the Tournament of a lifetime?”

Vir pursed his lips. “No. I suppose you wouldn’t. Let’s go fight some demons.”

End of Arc 7